A pregnant woman’s murder has been traced back to her estranged husband after her body was pulled from a creek behind his Harris County, Texas home. Melissa Sowders, 26, had been missing for several days when police were led to Cypress Creek with clues found in her abandoned car, according to Web Pro News on Jan. 4.

The husband, Matthew Sowders, 28, has been charged in the murder of Melissa Sowders and her unborn child. Police believe that this was a crime of jealousy. Melissa’s boyfriend, who was the father of her unborn child, said that she had dropped him off at work before going to meet her estranged husband and their daughter.

The last time Melissa was seen alive was at a local McDonald's with her husband and daughter. The couple had four children together. Melissa’s fifth child was fathered by her new boyfriend.

Witnesses spoke at a hearing Friday, including a neighbor who said she saw what she “believed to be a lifeless body in the doorway of Matt Sowders' apartment when she went to visit him.”

Melissa’s abandoned white Honda Accord was found on I-45 and it is what police found in or around her car is what led them to her body in the watery grave of Cypress Creek, which is located behind Matthew Sowder’s home.

Sowder denies killing his estranged wife. His lawyer, said he is maintaining his innocence and it was a shock to be arrested when the cause of death for his wife is not determined as of yet. An autopsy is scheduled, to officially verify the identity of the body and to identify the cause death. If Matthew is found guilty of this crime, he could face the death penalty.

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Roz Zurko is a freelance writer originally from Milford, Conn. Today she writes from her home at the foot of the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Her articles have appeared in magazines, newspapers and online. She has been a guest author on BBC radio and her online articles are read by more than a million people each month.